miR-7/TGF-β2 axis sustains acidic tumor microenvironment-induced lung cancer metastasis

Acidosis,regardless of hypoxia involvement,is recognized as a chronic and harsh tumor microenvironment(TME)that educates malignant cells to thrive and metastasize.Although overwhelming evidence supports an acidic environment as a driver or ubiquitous hallmark of cancer progression,the unrevealed core mechanisms underlying the direct effect of acidification on tumorigenesis have hindered the discovery of novel therapeutic targets and clinical therapy.Here,chemical-induced and transgenic mouse models for colon,liver and lung cancer were established,respectively.miR-7 and TGF-β2 expressions were examined in clinical tissues(n=184).RNA-seq,miRNA-seq,proteomics,biosynthesis analyses and functional studies were performed to validate the mechanisms involved in the acidic TME-induced lung cancer metastasis.Our data show that lung cancer is sensitive to the increased acidification of TME,and acidic TME-induced lung cancer metastasis via inhibition of miR-7-5 p.TGF-β2 is a direct target of miR-7-5 p.The reduced expression of miR-7-5 p subsequently increases the expression of TGF-β2 which enhances the metastatic potential of the lung cancer.Indeed,overexpression of miR-7-5 p reduces the acidic p H-enhanced lung cancer metastasis.Furthermore,the human lung tumor samples also show a reduced miR-7-5 p expression but an elevated level of activated TGF-β2;the expressions of both miR-7-5 p and TGF-β2 are correlated with patients’survival.We are the first to identify the role of the miR-7/TGF-β2 axis in acidic p H-enhanced lung cancer metastasis.Our study not only delineates how acidification directly affects tumorigenesis,but also suggests miR-7 is a novel reliable biomarker for acidic TME and a novel therapeutic target for non-small cell lung cancer(NSCLC)treatment.Our study opens an avenue to explore the p H-sensitive subcellular components as novel therapeutic targets for cancer treatment.